An analysis of 40 human H7N9 avian flu clusters from five waves of disease activity in China found a stable pattern in number and size, suggesting that the human-to-human transmission risk hasn't changed since the virus emerged in 2013. A team from China and their collaborators at the US Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention reported its findings yesterday in Emerging Infectious Diseases.
Tests on a traditional healer in Kenya who was a contact of one of the lab-confirmed Uganda Marburg patients has tested negative, and other high-risk contacts in Kenya have completed their 21-day monitoring periods, with no other illnesses detected, the World Health Organization (WHO) said yesterday.
Strains in Africa are becoming more drug resistant.
The World Health Organization (WHO) reported a total of 1,309 suspected cases, including 93 deaths, in an update yesterday on the plague outbreak in Madagascar. The case-fatality rate for the outbreak is now 7%.
The numbers reflect an increase of 12 cases and 9 fewer deaths from the WHO's previous update on Oct 20.
The Florida Department of Health (Florida Health) today reported the state's first locally acquired Zika case of the year, putting the nation's total this year at three local cases.
In a statement, Florida Health said the locally transmitted case has been confirmed in Manatee County, which wasn't one of the areas to report cases last year.
Six main strategies target disease in hot spot countries that drive much of the world's cholera activity.
High flu activity continues in several parts of the world, especially in Australia, as well as some countries in southern Asia and southeast Asia, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in its latest global flu update.
EpiVax, Inc., a vaccine development and immune engineering company based in Providence, R.I., yesterday announced it is part of collaboration supported by a $5.8 million award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop a new type of vaccine against H7N9 avian influenza.
The Saudi Arabian Ministry of Health (MOH) noted a new case of MERS-CoV over the weekend in a person who had direct contact with camels, a known risk factor for the virus.
A 57-year-old Saudi man from Hail was diagnosed as having MERS-CoV (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus) after presenting with symptoms of the virus. He is in critical condition.
Today the Saudi Arabian Ministry of Health (MOH) reported two new MERS-CoV cases in Dumah Al Jandal. At this time, it's not known if the new cases are related to a hospital outbreak in that city first reported at the beginning of August.
